With junior G/F D'Shawn Schwartz having averaged just 1.5 points over his 21 minutes per game played against Tennessee and Northern Colorado, seeing him break out of his slump vs. Omaha on Wednesday without a doubt came as a relief for Tad Boyle and Schwartz's teammates.
When the clock read all zeroes and Colorado had raced to a 91-49 victory over the Mavericks, Schwartz ended the night with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting with four boards.
Schwartz drained a three-pointer 12 seconds into the game, drawing first blood for the Buffaloes and hitting the opening basket of the game.
Then, about two and a half minutes later, he sank another one from long range.
The solid start from CU's 6-foot-7 senior was a welcomed sight for his teammates, who enjoyed watching Schwartz return to form.
“I loved seeing D’Shawn get going and I knew that he would," senior center Dallas Walton, who scored 14 points in the win said. "He’s one of those guys on our team that works on his game so much that you know the ball’s eventually going to fall for him and it did (vs. Omaha)."
"I knew that he would get his confidence up when he saw one go through and he did. I think he’s going to be able to keep it rolling."
After a positive test of COVID sidelined him for the season-opening games within the Little Apple Classic against South Dakota and Kansas State, Schwartz first returned to action with the Buffs on the road at then-No. 12 Tennessee.
While that game featured far from a robust offensive output from any CU player, Schwartz failed to score a single point.
The struggles struggled vs. Northern Colorado, as he managed three points and three rebounds.
Thus, scoring 11 points on Wednesday marked a significant step in the right direction for Schwartz has he continues to rediscover what's made him such a key player for the Buffs.
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“D’Shawn’s a guy that can score on all three levels: he can shoot the three, he’s got a good mid-range game, he can get to the rim and is a good foul shooter," Boyle said. "He’s a good defender for us and has a big, strong body."
"D’Shawn is so important for us and when he hit the first shot, it was so good to see that he got himself going."
Schwartz had a number of touches and drives to the rim on Wednesday that were reminiscent of how he's played when at his best, like, for example, when he contributed 20 points to Colorado's overtime winning effort last December vs. Dayton.
That game featured a D'Shawn Schwartz not afraid to drive to the rim through traffic.
While Wednesday's game was against a far less intimidating opponent and Schwartz himself had a good, not great game, the manner in which he played inspired confidence that he's on track to becoming a regular offensive asset for the Buffaloes once more.
"The thing I liked about D’Shawn (vs. Omaha) was that he played aggressively," Boyle said. "When he’s aggressive, we’re usually pretty good... it’s good to see him being aggressive and attacking the rim because he’s good when he does that. D’Shawn Schwartz brings a big element to our team."
Of course, the good came with some bad, as well. Schwartz didn't score a single point in the second half and failed to finish on a few of his drives to the basket.
If anything, Schwartz is heating up and regaining his confidence with every basket made.
For fellow senior McKinley Wright IV, making sure to keep feeding Schwartz's engine will be key for the Buffs in the coming games.
“D’Shawn is so valuable to this team and people around the country see when he’s aggressive, how much better we are," Wright IV said. "We need him to continue to be aggressive, continue to get him looks, draw some ISO plays for him on the block and on the wing — he’s huge for us. As long as we’ve got D’Shawn playing well, that’s a big key for our team.”
